Today, the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, the Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, while visiting Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, announced federal support for four new projects related to developing and adopting clean technology by agri-businesses in British Columbia.
With this up to nearly $1.6-million investment under the Agricultural Clean Technology (ACT) Program, farmers will be able to increase their competitiveness and reduce their carbon footprints while allowing innovators to develop new technologies with a positive environmental impact.
Minister Bibeau visited Lucent BioSciences Inc.'s laboratory at Simon Fraser University to see how the company is developing sustainable solutions for crop fertilization. Lucent Bio is receiving up to $1,333,761 under the ACT - Research and Innovation Stream to develop natural-based, nonpolluting micronutrients suitable for seed coating. This solution aims to help improve crop yields and will lead to more efficient use of fertilizer by reducing runoff of the main ingredients in most fertilizers, known as NPK (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium).
In addition to the funding to Lucent Bio, projects announced today under the ACT - Adoption Stream include:
- up to $70,457 for B JACK Farms in Abbotsford to install a solar system and electric-powered farm equipment to reduce reliance on the electrical grid and gasoline fuel in the egg production process;
- up to $108,876 for Blueberry Junction in Abbotsford to install a solar system to reduce electrical grid consumption for their blueberry operation; and
- up to $61,247 for Fresh Valley Farms in Armstrong to install a solar system and an electrical pivot irrigation system on their organic farm to reduce reliance on the electrical grid and gasoline fuel usage.
With these new investments, the ACT Program has supported 11 projects in British Columbia, representing a total of up to nearly $4.9 million.
The Government of Canada continues to invest in research, development and adoption of clean technology to help the agriculture sector support a low-carbon economy, while feeding a growing population.
